ZEN Yachts secures $5.9M in Series A alongside new orders for its solar electric catamaran

Nascent solar electric catamaran manufacturer ZEN Yachts has announced the closing of a Series A funding round totaling 5.5 million euros ($5.86M), sponsored entirely by Ocean Zero, LLC. The zero emissions boatbuilder looks to use the fresh round of funding to continue construction of the first hulls of its ZEN50 solar electric catamaran, of which additional preorders have now been secured.

The ZEN Yachts name stands for “Zero Emission Nautic Ltd. – an ocean-conscious boatbuilder founded as recently as 2021 that is headquartered in Spain. To help propel the popularity of zero-emission yachts and maximize their performance, the company has combined both wind sailing with electric propulsion.

Its voyage into the marine market begins with the ZEN50, a 50+ foot solar electric catamaran currently being built near Barcelona. The 12-passenger electric yacht features 2 x 50kW brushless DC motors, powered by a 160 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack.

The main pack is supported by an entire rooftop of solar panels, offering a peak power of 17 kW, allowing the ZEN50 to cruise at 4.5-5 knots using the power of the sun alone or cruise at 7-9 knots using the electric motor and wingsail combined with the capability to reach a max speed of 14 knots. The Oceanswings wingsail comes from AYRO, making the ZEN yacht the first series production leisure craft to feature this fully-automated wingsail technology.